Lütfü Savaş’s ‘independent candidacy’ move! What did he discuss with Özgür Özel during the candidacy process?

In the CHP, which has been determining its mayoral candidates for the local elections, the most talked-about name has been Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Lütfü Savaş.

Savaş, who was protested on the anniversary of the February 6 earthquakes, had announced that he would not withdraw from his candidacy, while CHP leader Özgür Özel had pointed to polls, saying, “If we see something in the polls, we will intervene.”

While Savaş not appearing in the CHP's promotional film and his name not being announced at the candidate introduction meeting were interpreted as signs that he would withdraw from his candidacy, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel announced that they would continue with Savaş.

STRIKING STATEMENTS FROM LÜTFÜ SAVAŞ

With the resolution of the Hatay knot in the CHP, all eyes turned to Lütfü Savaş.

Savaş explained what happened during the candidacy process and the meeting between him and Özgür Özel for the first time.

Speaking to Sözcü columnist İsmail Saymaz, Savaş made the following statements;

“Deputy Chairman Gökhan Zeybek called at night. I returned the call in the morning. He called me to the headquarters, and I went. ‘The polls are very bad,’ he said. There are four polls. ‘What does it show? You appear at 22 percent,’ he says. Very strange... I know statistics. ‘These are not correct,’ I said. ‘Find someone else instead,’ he said. ‘I am not in a position to suggest anyone. If I cannot win, no one has a chance to win,’ I said. There are more than one million people who will vote. How are we going to do it by proxy? I said, ‘Then forgive me, I am leaving.’ When I say forgive me, it means leaving the party, right? Of course, I trust myself. I will win.”

WHAT DID THEY DISCUSS WITH ÖZGÜR ÖZEL?

(Were you going to be an independent candidate?) I could have been. On Monday at 10:30, the chairman invited me. I said, ‘I am doing well in the polls, I am winning the election.’ I brought two polls. I am ahead in both. Özel said, ‘Mr. Mayor, suggest one person, let’s do that.’ I said, ‘There is no one to suggest.’ So many polls have been conducted, and no one has come close. I said, ‘Let me ask for your permission.’ He said, ‘Wait for news from us.’ He called me at night. ‘On the morning of April 1, I want to take back the geography entrusted by Atatürk with the party founded by Atatürk. I will be happy. I want you to be happy too,’ I said. He called our deputy, our provincial chairman, our district chairmen, and our candidates. ‘Do you vouch for him?’ he asked. Two-thirds said, ‘We vouch for him.’ ‘We said okay.’ What is the situation in Hatay? We will win.”

“I AM ALSO AN EARTHQUAKE VICTIM”

Savaş also responded to the criticisms regarding the earthquake as follows:

“I am also an earthquake victim. We never left Hatay. The one that should do the most work is the government. With what budget will I do it? My workload has increased 12-fold, and my income has dropped by 40 percent. What can a municipality do under these conditions? No mayor other than me could come out and speak. I gave licenses for five years, and that was only in the center of Antakya. But the destruction did not happen only in Antakya. It happened in every part of the city. A zoning amnesty was issued in 2018, and 205 thousand units were pardoned in this city. You are saying, ‘Continue to live in a grave.’ You pardon them, but God does not pardon them.”

GÖKHAN ZAN STATEMENT

Savaş also responded to the question regarding the criticisms of Gökhan Zan, who is the Hatay candidate from TİP, as follows:

“I never spoke to him. We worked together for six or seven years at Hatayspor; he said goodbye saying ‘I will take lessons in Europe’ and left. I put on his engagement ring. I officiated his wedding. My wife was the witness at his wedding. We had no problems with Gökhan. But it seems people can transform into a different platform when they enter politics.”

Saymaz added a note for the interview he conveyed in his column today: “This interview was conducted two days ago. I called Lütfü Savaş yesterday to ask about Gökhan Zan’s claim that he was threatened by the mafia to withdraw his candidacy and that he was offered money. However, I could not reach him.”